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[Lister]

Reminder, this is how our solar system moves:

This.... doesn't look right...

Yeah, I thoguht something was up with this:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astr...ing_sun_s_motion_through_galaxy_is_wrong.html

EDIT: Lol! Beaten by a parsec,

 

[SkyOdin]

And is it just this one object that seems to have an impossible orbit?

Very curious, I hope scientists solve the mystery.

No, if it was just one object, it wouldn't be that noteworthy. What is significant is that there seem to be a cluster of objects that are all moving in the same plane outside of the main plane of the Solar System. A single object with a strange orbit could just be the result of two asteroids impacting into each other off-center. A cluster of objects with the same unusual orbital pattern implies some larger, unknown event that links them.

 

[AxelFoley]

That the solar system is traveling at 20 kilometers a second?

It doesn't look like that gif but the solar system is in motion. That's obviously sped up. There is about 5-10 years in that gif.

Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "time flies", doesn't it?

 

[HTupolev]

Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "time flies", doesn't it?

Time flies like a banana.

 

[tanooki27]

 

[smurfx]

Although the majority of Centaurs are thought to have originated in the scattered disk, with the high-inclination members coming from the Oort cloud, the origin of the high inclination component of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) remains uncertain. We report the discovery of a retrograde TNO, which we nickname "Niku", detected by the Pan-STARRS 1 Outer Solar System Survey. Our numerical integrations show that the orbital dynamics of Niku are very similar to that of 2008 KV42 (Drac), with a half-life of &#8764;500 Myr. Comparing similar high inclination TNOs and Centaurs (q>10 AU, a<100 AU and i>60&#8728, we find that these objects exhibit a surprising clustering of ascending node, and occupy a common orbital plane. This orbital configuration has high statistical significance: 3.8-&#963;. An unknown mechanism is required to explain the observed clustering. This discovery may provide a pathway to investigate a possible reservoir of high-inclination objects.

 

[fallout]

This is a really cool discovery, but all it really amounts to is: "We need to do more observing to understand this better." and not: "It's myyssteeerrrriouuusss!" It'd be like walking through a forest and coming across 20 downed trees, but one of them was facing the other direction while also being upside down. Weird, interesting, and very much worthy of additional investigation, but not really violating the laws of physics or anything.

Well, hang on. The main reason why it's resonating with people here is that it shows the Sun moving around an orbit as the planets also orbit. That much is true. So it's not "complete" BS. The idea that the Sun is pulling the planets with it, though, as if they're trailing behind....wrong.

Right. The positive aspect of this is that people are thinking about how the Sun isn't stationary and is actually moving around our galaxy (albeit at a relatively very slow pace compared to how fast the Earth orbits the Sun). Unfortunately, it fundamentally gets some key things wrong and that's worth debunking.

 

[Freeza Under The Shower]

Now that's an obscure reference. One of few Voyager eps that was actually great though.

Also, the title of this thread is completely hyperbolic, but okay. "Object discovered in previously unknown range" would be correct, just like this happened a million times before already.

 

[Fat4all]

it's that cheetos burrito i misplaced

 

[C0unter]

We are currently in the thick of the galactic disk and our view of distant regions is largely blocked by dust but 10-20 million years from now, our motion will allow a full view of our starry galaxy.

Fucking dust.

 

[John Kowalski]

it's that cheetos burrito i misplaced

You misplaced your burrito four planets away?

Isn't that against the prime directive?

 

[Fat4all]

Isn't that against the prime directive?

 

[Gattsu25]

This.... doesn't look right...

Yeah, I thoguht something was up with this:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astr...ing_sun_s_motion_through_galaxy_is_wrong.html

EDIT: Lol! Beaten by a parsec,

So the planets lagging behind the sun is off, noted.

The rest of the article is referring to details outside of the GIF, however.

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

I bet its a rock. Pay me now NASA.

 

[Vegetable Lasagna]

Space is a hoax perpetrated by our goverments. It's just a skybox.

 

[uncelestial]

As far as i know this is complete BS and has already been debunked.

I read through the (as usual) tedious Slate article, and basically:

1) The sun isn't "leading" the planets
2) The plane on which the planets orbit the sun isn't tilted 90 degrees as shown it's 60, with some planets getting out ahead of the sun at any given time, then dropping back behind it later.

That's far from being "complete BS"

 

[Ether_Snake]

Maybe it was a planet that got struck from something coming into the solar system from above?

 

[tanooki27]

Now that's an obscure reference. One of few Voyager eps that was actually great though.

Glad you got it! Just watched it the other night. Picking my way through voyager, good stuff

 

[iamblades]

Wow this is nuts, but yeah makes sense how we are moving out of the big bang up to this point.... how fast is our solar system moving ?

Relative to what?

Relative to the center of the galaxy, our solar system is moving ~220 km/s

Relative to other galaxies? A significant fraction of the speed of light.

 

[RoguePope]

It's obviously a harbinger of the return of Nibiru. Keep an eye on its orbit. I hear you can predict earthquakes when it aligns with other planets and Earth.

Spoiler

2011 was a fun year for conspiracy nutcases #Elenin

 

[SPCTRE]

"Most of the Centaurs come from all around, with the high-anglers coming in from the Oort Cloud. But these high-anglers from out past Neptune? We don't even TNO"

well played, well played